The Shadow of the Warlord
by EMPFangirl02
Summary: The gang is back for their third year at Master Wu's school. Someone new has come this year...and then there's a rumor that the Shadow is on the move. What new mysteries will be uncovered this year? Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

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 _Just off shore of Ninjago was a looming volcano brimming with lava and a constant plume of smoke. Deep within the volcano was a shadow, a wisp of a former man. His red eyes pierced the shadows, looking as though they were made from the flames of the volcano itself. One of his four arms groped in the darkness for a paper, for it made great kindling for his fireplace._

 _Before he tossed the newspaper away, his eyes caught the headlines. A name stopped him from burning it right then and there. He skimmed through the article, and flipped the page._

 _At long last, he set the paper down. The shadow had the information he needed. He rolled his shoulders and reached for his wand. It had been years since he had stepped foot out of his secret lair, but now, he was finally strong enough to accomplish his goal._

 _He pulled on his black robes and slid his war helmet. The moment he had been waiting for had arrived. The shadow cast off years of shame and braced himself for the sun. It had been too long. The red eyes blinked the light away and fixed their gaze on Ninjago's coast._

 _The moment he stepped on that beach, they would be looking for him. The shadow knew that. But it didn't matter. Nothing mattered to him except his goal. He summoned his shark mech and slipped under the waves, back to the comforting darkness._

AN: A little teaser for you for my next installment called The Shadow of the Warlord. Should I continue?


	2. Chapter 1-Looming Shadow

Chapter 1: Looming Shadow

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I heard a door slam. Oh great. Carl was back, and from of the sound of it, he was in a bad mood. I was just finishing up dinner, but now I was in a hurry to get out of his way. I didn't bother to put my dishes in the dishwasher. Karin would get upset about having to do them later, but I could handle that.

Nya was already long gone. My little sister was pretty smart. I tried to sneak my way upstairs to join her but Carl saw me.

"Kai!" He called.

I sighed.

"Don't give me attitude, young man," Carl warned. Definitely in a bad mood. There were times when I wanted to run away from my foster family. I couldn't wait for school to start up again next week. I tried to remind myself that this house was better than the foster system or being homeless. Anyways, I could never drag Nya with me onto the streets.

"Yes, sir," I replied.

Carl frowned. "I would prefer if you called me father."

I gritted my teeth. Unlike Karin, who didn't care what we did, Carl was strict and tried to be 'an involved parent'. In my mind though, there was only one man that I called father, and that man was _not_ Carl.

"Okay," I said to appease him.

"Can you take my things upstairs and turn on the TV?" Carl phrased it like a question, but I knew I had no choice.

"Sure," I said in a monotone voice. I took Carl's bag and brushed past him to get to the stairs. I could feel his eyes boring into me. Fortunately, he let me go without commenting on my rudeness. Sometimes our conversations could go on for hours. Especially since Nya and I enrolled in a 'private boarding school'. Nya and I both decided it was a bad idea to tell our foster parents where we really going. Carl didn't understand why we would want to be away from home for so long when there was a perfectly good school nearby. Karin intervened and told him how much we were enjoying it. Carl reluctantly let the subject go, but it had been a point of friction between the two of us.

I dropped the bag off in Carl's office, and went all the way back downstairs to turn on the television. It was a small little box thing. Our family didn't have enough money for a larger one, but Carl still loved to watch the news on it all the same. I flipped to CNN and turned to leave, but the news stopped me in my tracks.

The lady was talking about a dangerous criminal that had been spotted in a town not far from Ninjago city. He had moved from the coast inward. A blurry photograph flashed up on the screen. I could tell the man was dark, almost like the skin of a Great Devourer victim, but that was impossible. I had stabbed the snake myself with a sword.

The criminal was wearing a helmet, like one of the warlords out of Ninjago's past. It covered most of his face, but I could still make out one, fiery eye. Its gaze pierced through the screen right to my core. Unease flooded me. I immediately disliked the man.

"Stop blocking the TV," Carl complained. "Why don't you just go to your room?"

The spell the criminal had on me was broken. "I was just leaving," I said flatly. I stalked out of the room and left my foster father alone with the news. I knocked on Nya's door and she let me in. I collapsed on her bed and vented my frustration in one big sigh.

"That bad?" Nya asked sympathetically.

"You have no idea. He really gets on my nerves," I said.

"Did you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head. "But I wanted to tell you about what I saw on TV."

"Yeah?"

I told her about the criminal. "They said his name was…Garmadon, or something like that," I finished.

"You think he's coming here?" Nya asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. It just said that he was heading inland."

Uncertainty hung like a cloud over us. Nya broke the tension. "Well, no sense in worrying about it then." She bustled about the room and put some clothes in bag.

I smiled. My sister was always the more reasonable of the two of us. "You ready to go to school?" I asked her.

"Of course," she replied.

That's good. I was worried Nya might be put off after what happened to her last year, but she had bounced back remarkably fast. Over the summer, she devoted herself to her studies and was ready to tackle the new year. Nya continued to fill her suitcase full of books, clothes, and other homey items.

I was putting my packing off till last minute. School was still a week away, and besides, I didn't need much anyway. My robes and books were still sitting at the bottom of my bag, and I could easily toss in a change of causal clothes and my pajamas later. Nya was much more responsible.

She warned me that I needed to do my packing soon otherwise it would creep up on me and before I knew it, I would be scrambling. I waved my sister off, but sure enough the week was gone, and I was throwing a bunch of stuff in a bag the morning we were supposed to leave. Nya was already out the door by the time I finished.

I hurried down the stairs and yanked open the door. "We're off, Karin," I called.

I looked down at the road to see if Nya had soared ahead of me, but fortunately, my sister was sitting on the porch waiting for me.

"Why do you even bother?" Nya asked as we waited for the bus. "It's not like she cares."

I shrugged. "It just feels wrong to leave without letting her know. We won't see her again for the rest of the year, since we don't come home during the holidays."

Nya frowned. "Your choice," she said.

I could tell she didn't agree with me, but that was all right. We were quiet most of the way there, but after a couple hours, the silence was getting to me.

"Looking forward to seeing Jay again?" I teased. I knew my friend liked her, and I suspected she liked him back.

Nya's head snapped off the road and turned back toward me. The mixture of shock and irritation on her face confirmed my suspicion in an instant.

"No!" my sister said quickly.

"Sure," I replied, grinning widely.

Nya rolled her eyes at me while trying to come up with a witty reply. I waited for her to do her worst. I had no secret crushes my sister could use against me, so I was safe there. But my sister was creative.

"Besides, nobody likes me." Then, she added slyly, "Just like nobody likes you."

Ouch. I didn't think much about girls, I was only thirteen after all, but I liked to think I was somewhat popular.

"People like me," I said.

Nya smirked. "Oh yeah? Like who?"

"Well," I said slowly trying to give myself time to think. "There's…uh…"

My sister giggled. "That's what I thought."

Before I had a chance to say anything else, she pulled ahead me down the path. I shook my head. Nya always managed to get the last word. Before long, we were at the foot of the Mountain of a Million Steps.

Nya and I looked for the others. After a few minutes, we flagged down Jay and Cole. Jay was quick to catch us up on his break, and asked Nya about hers. I smiled. Same old Jay. While they talked, Cole and I looked for Zane. Why was it that he was the last one to show up?

I could see a figure halfway down the mountain. Mistaké was coming and still no sign of Zane. Cole and I increased our search. It was hard to see through the crowd, but from what I could tell, our friend hadn't arrived yet. The old professor called the students up the million steps and the crowd began moving.

I was reluctant to leave without Zane. What if he showed up as we were leaving?

"Come on, Kai," Nya said. Everybody else had started up the mountain.

"Give me a second," I said while my eyes scanned for pale hair and a white kimono to match.

Nya didn't budge. "Zane can find his way up on his own. Come on." When I didn't move, she tugged on my sleeve. "We're going to be late."

I sighed, but let her drag me along. Honestly, I wouldn't mind missing the sorting ceremony, since no one I knew was getting sorted, but my sister hated the idea of being tardy. Once we got to the dining hall, she darted off to the Water Table, while I put off joining my house for as long as possible.

I ducked behind a taller student to avoid Chen's haughty gaze, and made my way to the end. Food appeared on my plate and I started eating. I tried to push Zane out of mind and enjoy my grilled fish. I reached for some rice and waited for the boring ceremony to begin.

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AN: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and I will be going back to my regular posting of one a week on Friday. I posted this chapter now because I didn't want to keep you all waiting after the prologue teaser.


	3. Chapter 2-Lloyd Garmadon

Chapter 2: Lloyd Garmadon

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AN: Some of you have been asking about when Lloyd would make an appearance-wait no longer! This chapter is for you! Since he's younger than the rest in the show, I figured he would be the last one to come to the school. A little background-Lloyd was raised by Wu. On with the chapter!

* * *

I watched the nervous first years make their way to the middle of the hall. I noticed one kid was trailing behind the others. He was wearing a simple green jacket with the hood covering his hair. The boy looked down at the ground and didn't meet anyone's gaze.

I don't know why, but I felt sorry for him and I didn't even know him. There was nothing I could really do, so I turned back to my food. I couldn't eat much, though as names were called, and I had to clap politely each time. I cheered with the rest of my house when someone was placed in Fire.

"Lloyd Garmadon," Mistaké called.

The crowd whispered to themselves. It's like they all recognized the name. Some of the students seemed afraid, while others looked upset. Then it finally dawned me: Wasn't Wu's last name Garmadon? And wasn't that also the name of that criminal that was on the lose?

I looked to see the headmaster's reaction. He kept a straight face.

The kid that I noticed earlier tugged on his hood and walked up to the hat and sat down on the sorting stool. I watched to see what house he would be placed in.

One agonizingly long minute passed. The whole room held its breath. Another minute went by. People began whispering. Not even Zane had taken this long to get sorted. Five minutes passed and the hat remained silent. I looked back at Wu. A look of concern was beginning to creep through his stoic face.

Lloyd himself took the hat off in a huff. His blond hair was ruffled and his face was red. He jumped off the stool and tried to escape the intense stares of the other students.

"Wait, Lloyd," Master Wu called. Lloyd froze. "What did the hat say?"

"It said 'you will discover your power for yourself'," Lloyd replied.

All the students began clamoring again. The hat wasn't making any sense. Lloyd shied at all the attention. Embarrassment flooded his cheeks. I felt bad for the poor kid. It wasn't his fault, even if he was the son of a criminal.

Mistaké whispered something in Wu's ear. The professor stood up.

"Every student must be placed," Wu told the assembly. "Will one of the houses be gracious enough to accept Lloyd until the matter with the sorting hat is resolved?"

All the students began whispering to each other. No one seemed to want to take him in their house. Suddenly, my big brother instincts kicked in. I got off my bench and faced Master Wu.

"We'll take him," I announced so the whole assembly could hear me.

The other members of my house looked at me like I was crazy.

"Don't you know who that is?" Someone whispered. "That's Lloyd _Garmadon_. The son of the _evil_ wizard."

I ignored them. Wu smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Kai," he spoke to the rest of the crowd. "Lloyd will be placed in the Fire House until the issue is resolved." The old professor sat down and the matter was over.

Lloyd edged over to the Fire table. All the Fire members glared at Lloyd, like he was some sort of curse. He avoided their gaze and made his way over to me. I tried to smile and look friendly. I waited for Lloyd to sit down, and then I sat next to him.

The plate in front of him immediately filled up with dumplings. Not a usual item, but plates were enchanted to produce the consumer's personal preferences.

"So you like dumplings, huh?"

Lloyd stared at his plate. "Yeah, pork dumplings are my favorite." He poked at his food. For his favorite, he didn't seem very interested.

"Hey," I said. "What's on your mind?"

He sighed. "It's been a rough day."

"Oh, right," I replied.

I picked at my rice. I wished I knew what to talk to Lloyd about. Nya was much better at this than I was.

"Well, um, welcome to the Fire House," I said lamely.

Lloyd gave me a weak smile. "Thanks."

We spent the rest of dinner in silence. Everyone else was sorted without incident. Once we were dismissed, I showed Lloyd to the Fire Dormitory. He looked around the Common room and said he was tired and wanted to go to his room. Before he left, I invited him to lunch in library tomorrow.

The next day I picked up my schedule. My first two classes, History of Magic and Transfiguration, were pretty slow. It was the first day of school after all. I walked in my DADA class not knowing what to expect. The first year, we did a bunch of spells in class with hands on learning, and the next we spent most of our time reading out of the book.

What I was not expecting was Master Wu sitting on a mat drinking tea. "What happened to Ronin?" I asked.

Master Wu took a huge sip of tea and sighed. "After the events of last year, Professor Ronin has decided it would be in his best interests to resign."

That made sense.

"Besides," Wu added. "He was already unsatisfied with his position as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

I got that impression last year. Something was bugging me about this whole thing though.

"Master, don't you have an Elemental Magic Class right now?" I asked. Teachers used almost every period teaching a level of class.

Wu chuckled. "I have my ways," was all he said.

I know I wouldn't get any more answers out of him so I sat down in my seat. Class with Master Wu was interesting to say the least. We drank tea while reading the first chapter of the textbook. It was relaxing, the kind of stuff that enhanced your focus without giving you too much energy. I left feeling refreshed. I wondered if every DADA class would be like this.

What was weird was I had Elemental Magic right after this, and when I walked into the classroom, Master Wu was sitting there like he had never been anywhere else. Strange. I wish I knew his secret.

Before I knew it, it was time for lunch.

I packed up my books and rushed to the library. I thought I would be the first one there, since the Elemental Magic room was the closest to the library but no. Zane had beaten me. I sat down across from him.

"Where have you been?" I asked him. "We missed you at the foot of the mountain."

Zane blinked. "I was right here."

"In the library?" I clarified. Zane nodded. "But, didn't you go home? What happened to your…father?" I said for lack of a better word.

"I saw no reason to leave school."

"So you didn't want to face him?" I asked my friend. Zane shook his head. I sighed. "You have to talk to him sometime."

Zane opened his mouth to reply, when someone interrupted him.

"Um, hello."

I didn't recognize the voice right away. I turned uncertainly, but it was just Lloyd. I put a smile on my face to cover my irritation. I really wanted to hear what Zane had to say.

"Hello, Lloyd, glad you came."

Then Cole came in carrying in a plate of food.

"Hey, Cole," I said.

"Hi," he replied. Nya slipped in behind Cole and sat next to me. I asked her how her day was going and she said well so far.

Zane was staring at Lloyd curiously. "Lloyd Garmadon?" he inquired.

Lloyd rubbed his head and looked at the ground. "Yeah, that's me."

Right as he finished speaking, Jay walked into the room. He looked at Lloyd in a mixture of shock and horror.

"Son of the evil Lord Garmadon?" he asked.

Lloyd turned away from Jay. "Yes," he muttered.

Cole stopped chewing. "Garmadon? You mean that guy from the news?"

"Lord Garmadon is dark wizard who worked for the Overlord," Zane clarified for him.

Cole looked at poor Lloyd. "And he's your father?"

"Unfortunately," the kid replied under his breath.

"Sorry, Lloyd," Nya said. "That can't be easy."

Lloyd nodded slightly in response. Everyone was staring at Lloyd and the tension was tangible. I rushed to change the subject.

"How do you think Master Wu is teaching two classes at once?" I asked everyone, diverting their attention from the poor first year.

Jay came and sat down next to Nya. He immediately started rattling off theories.

"I think he cloned himself with magic, or maybe he has a secret twin."

Zane was quick to discount both. Cole thought maybe Master Wu had made a hologram—like the ones in Ninjago city—that could teach basic lessons for him. While they talked, I noticed Lloyd was on the outskirts by himself.

I got up carefully without disturbing the others. Nya gave me a quick glance, but let me go silently.

"Hey," I said. "Come sit with me and my sister," I offered.

Lloyd nodded appreciatively. I led him back to the circle of my friends. Nya gave the first year a welcoming smile and turned back to the conversation.

Jay was talking. "What if he's a robot?"

"That's ridiculous," Cole said.

"Oh, yeah? If Zane's a robot, then anyone could be," Jay quickly looked at Zane. "No offense."

He simply shrugged. "None taken."

"I can't picture Master Wu as an android," Nya said.

"Me neither," I said.

"That's because he's not," Lloyd suddenly spoke up.

Everyone looked at him. He had been so quiet this whole time that it was easy to forget he was there.

Jay frowned. "How do you know?"

"Wu's my uncle," Lloyd replied simply. "I'd think I'd know if he was a robot."

"Then what do you think?" Nya asked kindly.

Lloyd looked at the ground. "I don't know exactly, but Uncle's a wizarding master. He must have some spell or something that allows him to do two things at once."

The circle fell quiet. Time to change the subject again. We spent the last few minutes talking about our vacations. Zane read fifty-four books in the school library, while Cole talked his dad out of visiting his 'musical school' over summer break. Apparently, the pictures we worked so hard to get had paid off. For now, anyway.

All too soon, it was time to go to our separate classes. I went off to Potions and then Magic and Technology.

Done for the day, I headed back to the Fire Dormitory and opened the door to find a crowd of angry, red kimonos gathered around a single victim trapped in the center.

I gasped. It was Lloyd.

* * *

AN: Oh my! What's happening?


	4. Chapter 3-The Fight

Chapter 3: The Fight

* * *

I heard mocking laughter in the center. I knew who it was instantly: Chen. I pushed my way through the crowds and forced my way to the Lloyd. I had to save him. As I got closer, I could hear the insults being hurtled at the poor kid.

"You don't deserve to be here, you evil little brat," Chen was saying.

"I'm not evil," Lloyd answered, trying to defend himself.

"Like father like son," the bully quoted in the first year's face. "Right, kid?"

Lloyd stumbled back only for the crowd to push him right back into Chen's waiting fist.

"It's time to say good night, little Garmadon," he whispered threateningly.

My eyes widened. I found myself bursting through the front line of onlookers, sprinting for dear life, praying I would make it in time. Hot pain shot through my jaw, blooming up and down the whole left side of my face.

Chen retracted his fist in surprise. His face blurred and the room seemed to grow dark. I blinked hard and adjusted my stance. My heart pounded in my chest. My one point of satisfaction was that Chen was shaking his red knuckles out.

The crowd watched the bully expectantly. Chen tried to laugh me off. "Jeez, you have a thick skull," he said. "Though, the moment you stood up for this brat in the dining hall, we all knew that."

The mob laughed and pressed in closer. My breath came in hot, short breaths. The pain was beginning to numb, but I could tell I would have a bruise tomorrow. I tried to think of a good comeback, but my brain couldn't think. The same thoughts swirled over and over again.

The students tightened the circle, like a noose around my neck. I spread my arms out and tried to shield Lloyd, but there were too many of them. At this rate, I wasn't going to be able to protect him. I pulled my wand out of my kimono and pointed it at Chen.

"Stop!" I cried.

Surprisingly, everyone did.

Chen laughed at me. "You're bluffing."

"Like the time I silenced your voice?" I reminded him.

Chen hesitated briefly, as he looked at the point of my wand apprehensively, but then quickly pulled out his own wand. Oh no. At this rate, we were going to duel. I spouted off the first spell I could think of.

" _Expelliarmus!"_

Chen's wand went flying and I snatched it out the air so he couldn't use it against me. The mob 'oohed' softly and turned to see what the bully would do next. His face had turned red and his muscles were tensing.

I had two seconds to dodge his punch. Chen swung wildly at my face. I ducked and fell into the crowd.

 _This wasn't about Lloyd anymore,_ I thought.

I gasped. Chen's knuckles were in my stomach. He punched me again and again in the same, sore spot. Bile climbed up my throat and I spewed it all over him.

Chen reeled back in disgust. I pulled myself up to my feet and panted heavily. I couldn't take anymore of his punches.

 _Come on, Kai, you got two wands. Use them._

Chen had finished trying to wipe my throw up off his kimono. He glared at me.

"You'll pay for that!" He yelled as he charged at me.

Time to end this. " _Petrificus Totalus!"_ I yelled.

Chen froze in midstride and he fell to the floor. His mouth was still open in a silent scream of fury. I breathed a sigh of relief. I looked to the mob, which stood in stunned silence.

"Anyone else?" I asked.

No one came forward. The crowd dispersed, leaving me alone with Lloyd. Thank goodness. My injuries were catching up to me and I honestly couldn't take on a first year in my condition. My stomach and jaw were throbbing.

Lloyd looked up at me.

"You didn't have to do that, you know," he said quietly.

I frowned. "I couldn't just let him push you around." I put my hand on Lloyd's shoulder, mostly to comfort him, but also to help me stand. I hadn't been in this much pain in a long time. I forced a smile.

"Besides, that's what friends do."

Lloyd smiled back at me. "Thanks, Kai. Thanks for everything."

"No probl—ah!" I wave of pain stopped me in my tracks. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground and Lloyd was standing over me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

My stomach was killing me. Chen packed a powerful punch. Lloyd looked so concerned…I didn't want him to worry about me.

"I think so."

He didn't look convinced. "You sure?"

I pushed myself up to my feet. "Yeah, I just need some rest."

I headed toward the dormitory stairs and stumbled a bit. I could feel Lloyd's eyes following me.

"I'll be fine in the morning," I promised. He didn't say anything in reply, so I continued up the winding staircase, clutching my stomach. Chen's rage must have made him extra powerful. I collapsed on my bed and hoped that I would get miraculously cured overnight, like I told Lloyd. This pain was torture.

I slept fitfully with horrible dreams of shadows with red eyes and Chen the giant hunting me down in my sleep. I was glad when the night was over. But when I did wake up, my pain was still there. I lifted up my shirt and found thick, purple bruises where Chen's fist had been hours ago, and from the pain in my jaw, I guessed had a good bruise there too.

I groaned and pushed myself out of bed. I had to go to class, pain or not. Simple tasks were rendered next to impossible. Getting dressed was a nightmare, and don't get me started on the stairs.

I pulled myself out of the dormitory, only to find Hutchins, one of the strictest teachers in school, standing outside with Chen looking smug behind him.

"Mr. Umas," the professor said. "You are coming with me."

I groaned. "Please, sir—"

But Mr. Hutchins would have none of it. He led us down to his office, which of course was at the other end of the school. I began lagging behind. Chen smirked at me. He was enjoying every second of my pain.

"Dragging your feet won't get you out of your punishment, Mr. Umas," Hutchins called.

Punishment? I wonder what that would be. It couldn't be any worse than this pain, could it? Hutchins continued on faster. I was about to retort that I really was going as fast as I could, but then we finally arrived.

Hutchins's office was filled with ancient artifacts, just like any good history teacher. Swords and suits of armor lined the walls, with bits of pottery in display in glass cases. There were also some magical ones too, like a wizard's hat made out of solid gold, and a wand made out of ivory.

Mr. Hutchins sat down at his desk. I moved to sit across from him, since I felt like I was going to fall over, but the professor put up his hand to stop me. So I had to content myself to holding onto the back of the chair instead.

"So, Mr. Umas, do you want to tell me what happened last night?" Hutchins asked.

There was an edge to his voice that unnerved me, and I glanced at Chen, who was still smirking. I had no idea what he had told the professor, but I could almost guarantee it was a lie.

I took a painful deep breath and decided to tell the truth anyways. It couldn't hurt me.

"I came into the Fire Dormitory and saw a mob gathered around Lloyd and Chen. Chen was mocking Lloyd, and was going to punch him, so I jumped in the way."

I fingered the bruise on my jaw as proof.

Mr. Hutchins frowned. "Very heroic of you. Go on."

This didn't seem to be going well. I continued my story of how we went from insults to a full on fight.

"I froze Chen in self-defense," I finished.

Hutchins sighed. "That's not what Mr. Harrison told me."

Of course not. I wondered what hole I had just fallen into. I waited for the professor to continue.

"He told me that he was merely joking with Mr. Garmadon and you misunderstood him. According to Mr. Harrison, you were the one who attacked him. He had no choice, but to punch you in light of your deranged onslaught."

What? "Sir, I promise you that's not what happened—"

"Silence!" Hutchins snapped. "I'm the one passing judgment here." I shut my mouth and waited. "Now, you have quite a record, Mr. Umas. Upon your first year, you charged irrationally into a restricted area—"

"To save the school from the Overlord!" I protested.

"Be quiet! Or your punishment will be much worse."

I swallowed my discontentment. This wasn't fair. It sounded like Mr. Hutchins had already made up his mind that I was guilty before I had a chance to prove myself. Chen's grin widened in the corner.

"As I was saying, then in your second year, you deliberately broke over a dozen school rules. You have a rash tendency, Mr. Umas, and if that wasn't bad enough, you attacked Mr. Harrison before."

"What?" I interrupted, despite myself.

The professor glared at me. "Surely you remember using the Silencing Charm on Mr. Harrison?"

I could slap myself. What had seemed like good fun at the time was coming back to haunt me.

"That wasn't really attacking…" I said slowly.

"Don't be technical with me, young man!" Hutchins snapped. "Now, I know it can be hard to think in the heat of the moment, but attacking another student is completely unacceptable."

"What about Chen?" I asked. "He attacked me too."

Hutchins sighed. "In self-defense…"

"But—"

"That's enough! Detention, Mr. Umas. You will report back to my office this Saturday at nine in the morning."

I gawked. "Sir, I—"

"Dismissed."

Realizing this wasn't going anywhere, I glared at Chen and walked out of Hutchin's office. Chen followed me out, probably to gloat, but I didn't want to deal with him right now. I stopped and turned around as fast as my sore body could go. The bully nearly ran right into me.

"This isn't over," I said. "I don't know what you have against Lloyd, but I'm not going to let you hurt him. You can't push us around."

Chen's gleeful face contorted into an angry sneer. "You have no idea what you're talking about," he hissed. "The Garmadons are a set of monsters. All of them."

I glared right back at Chen. "You don't know anything about Lloyd," I said. Then I turned and left the bully standing alone in the dust.

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AN: Dun, dun, dun! Poor Kai-what has he gotten himself into? Read more next week to find out! Reviews are always welcome!


	5. Chapter 4-Impending Doom

Chapter 4: Impending Doom

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At lunch, I ranted about the unfairness of it all to my friends. Nya seemed more concerned about how purple and blue my face was. I finished right as Lloyd came in. I hoped he hadn't overheard too much of our conversation; I didn't want to worry him. Even though I had stopped talking, Jay picked up the conversation about how harsh Professor Hutchins had been on his essays last year.

I watched Lloyd as he made his way over to us. He was clutching a newspaper in one hand. Lloyd sat down next me and stared at his food without really paying attention to what everyone else was saying.

"Can I see the paper?" I asked him.

Lloyd shrugged and handed it to me. "Sure," he replied.

The newspaper was full of folds and wrinkles. Lloyd must have squeezed the life out of the poor thing. After I flattened it, I read the headline: _Warlord at Large: Ministry resorts to Drastic Measures_. Below it was another blurry photograph of Garmadon trudging through a rice field. My eyes widened. I had walked past that farm before on my way to school.

My eyes darted back and forth across the article, desperate to know what was going on. It seemed that no one, muggle or wizard, could catch Garmadon. He had passed Ninjago city, where the Ministry was located, which meant that his target was most likely Wu's school. When interviewed, the Minister of Magic assured the public that his staff was doing everything in their power to hunt the dark wizard. Apparently, the ministry was going to unleash Dementors on him, whatever they were.

"Whatcha reading?" Nya asked me, startling me out of my thoughts.

I told her, and soon the news spread to everyone in our group. Troubled faces stared at me.

"Garmadon is heading _here_?" Jay cried. "Why?"

"He's looking for me," Lloyd answered flatly. "Uncle Wu warned me that this might happen."

"We don't know that," Nya tried to reassure him.

Lloyd didn't answer, but his gloomy frown stayed fixed on his face.

"Is there anything we can do?" I asked.

"Lord Garmadon is powerful dark wizard who outclasses us students," Zane said honestly.

I sighed. "But we took out the Great Devourer and we defeated the Overlord. Twice." I looked at the others, who didn't meet my gaze.

"The Overlord wasn't at his full strength," Zane explained. "If he had, we would be dead."

We sat in silence. Cole set down his plate of food. "Well, it's no use worrying about things we can't change." He paused. "Anyways, what are you going to do about your detention tomorrow?"

"Thanks for reminding me," I said sarcastically.

Lloyd jerked his head up. "Detention?"

I sighed and told him about the situation. Lloyd's frown deepened. "This is all my fault," he said.

And this was exactly why I didn't want him to know about my punishment. "It's not your fault," I said. "It's Chen's. He's the one who tattled on me to Hutchins."

Lloyd sighed. "It still wouldn't have happened if I wasn't there."

"It'll be alright," I tried to reassure him. "How bad could it be?"

* * *

"You are to scrub and polish every last artifact in this room, including my personal set of armor," Hutchins instructed.

Great. I was already regretting my decision to show up in the first place. I was still sore from my injuries; in fact, they seemed to be getting worse each day. Now, I had to clean a bunch of ancient artifacts? I sighed.

I picked up a rag and a bucket of water. Better get started. I cleaned display cases and tried not to cut myself on the swords while the professor watched from his chair. Time dragged on. By the time I cleaned half the artifacts, several long hours had gone by.

Hutchins had long since stopped watching me and was now reading the newspaper. I could walk out of this room right now if I wanted too. But as quickly as the thought came I dismissed it. I'd be in worse trouble for ditching the dentenion.

I sighed and went back to polishing a shield. I wished I was a water wizard like Nya. It would make cleaning so much easier. Speaking of making things easier… I pulled out my wand. There had to be a spell that would speed this process up.

"Don't even think about it," Hutchins said without looking up from the paper.

Worth a shot. I pocketed my wand and picked up the rag instead.

"Yes, sir."

I finished cleaning about an hour after the professor finished his paper. I stood up and set the bucket and rag on his desk.

"I'm done," I said.

Hutchins raised his eyebrows. He personally examined each piece and made me rewash at least half of them.

At last, everything was done to his satisfaction.

I walked down the hallway and stretched. I was stiff after being crouched down over relics for so long. I walked out into a courtyard to get some fresh air when I heard some tranquil music coming from the koi pond. I followed the sound to a small hill overlooking the peaceful waters, where Master Wu was sitting.

He had his back to me, holding his staff like a flute. I had no idea the professor was a skilled musician. He set his staff/flute down.

"Hello, Kai. What brings you here?"

"I heard your flute," I said. "What are you doing here?"

Wu sighed. "I was thinking about my brother."

I walked closer to the professor so I could see his face. "You mean Lord Garmadon?" I asked.

Wu nodded. "Before he was called Lord, I called him my best friend."

I was confused. I knew the professor and Garmadon were brothers, but friends? It was hard to picture.

"What happened?" I asked.

"While we were at school, my brother and I decided to go exploring outside. After awhile, we began dueling and he disarmed me. My wand clattered down the mountain and I was afraid to go after it because I thought my father would get angry with me. My brother went to get it, and as he reached for it, he was bitten by the Great Devourer."

I gasped. So that explained his appearance.

Wu continued. "My father managed to use his golden power to stop the poison from reaching his heart, but he was never the same again. Once we graduated, my brother became more and more corrupted. Before I knew it, he had joined forces with the Overlord and we were on opposite sides. Now he's coming here." Wu sighed.

My heart ached. That was one of the saddest things I had ever heard. "Can Garmadon break into the school?" I asked.

"There are protective charms all around us," Wu assured me. "But if I know my brother, he will have gotten stronger since we last met. I don't know if the spells will hold him."

We sat in silence, staring at the koi pond. I thought I could see Goldie splashing among the other orange and white fish. It was crazy to think that the snake that I had destroyed last year was still affecting our lives today. I watched the vibrant koi and reflected on all that Master Wu had told me.

After a while, I went back to my dormitory. The sun was setting and I still had homework to do for my teachers. I had five essays to write and I needed to get working on that as soon as possible. I tried to work on my Elemental Magic paper, but my head swirled with thoughts about Garmadon instead.

I sighed and pushed my parchment away. After writing five words, I realized I wasn't going anywhere. I needed to do something else that would get rid of my nervous energy. I slipped out the door and started jogging down the corridors. It felt good to run and be free. No responsibilities, no cares in the world.

The last light of the sun poured through the windows. Darkness was coming, and soon I wouldn't be able to see where I was going. I sighed and turned back to the dormitory. Darkness was everywhere, clawing at my throat and choking at my freedom. I wished I could have run longer, but it is what it is.

I didn't stop jogging until I got up to my room, where I at last came to a halt. At least I was tired now. I crawled into my bed and pulled up the sheets.

 _I was playing with a young boy with dark hair. He was laughing and shooting spells at me in a mock duel. My wand went flying into a deep, dark, chasm. The boy went to grab it. I tried to stop him, shout that it wasn't worth it, but my voice only came out in a tiny whisper. I knew what was going to happen, but I couldn't do anything about it._

 _I waited for the child to come back, but out of the chasm came only a dark shadow with red eyes and four arms. He wore a medieval helmet and heavy armor that gave him the appearance of a warlord. The shadow laughed, revealing his pointy teeth and small fangs. I backed away as it came closer._

 _And closer…_

 _And closer still…_

 _Until I was falling into darkness with echoing laughter all around me, just like the Overlord in the clock room. I couldn't see anything expect two pinholes of fiery light, growing larger and larger, roaring in my ears and consuming me whole._

" _This is it," I thought. "I'm going to die."_

 _A small, green light jumped between the shadow and me before it could touch my skin. It pulsed, growing larger and larger, banishing the darkness with a vibrant green._

 _The shadow screamed, "NOO_ _OO_ _OO_ _OO_ _OO_ _!_ _GREEN WIZARD, I'LL GET YOU_ _!"_

I jerked upright in bed and found myself covered in cold dream? I lay back on my pillow and sighed. I would have discounted it as my subconscious thinking about Master Wu's story, if it wasn't for the fact I had prophetic dreams about both the Great Devourer and the Overlord. Not to mention the weird part about the Green Wizard, whatever that meant.

I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep. Even if the dream had some kind of secret meaning, most of it was about the past. There was nothing I could do to change it.

* * *

AN: Oh no! Another troubling dream for Kai! What are the implications? Read on to find out next time! Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 5-Dementors

Chapter 5: Dementors

* * *

The next few days were normal. I learned spells and wrote essays and tried to outdo Chen in class. It was the least I could do to get back at the bully without getting another detention. He didn't dare to bully Lloyd while I was around like that night in the dormitory, but he still found ways to make our lives miserable. And Chen's goons were everywhere. They blocked my way to class, put nasty stuff in my orange juice at breakfast, and tripped me in the hallways.

I honestly couldn't believe it. Chen and I had always had been at odds, but this was getting ridiculous. Did he really hate the Garmadons that much? I sighed. The one time I got a break was at lunch. The library had become a safe haven for me. It seemed that Chen never came there, so I could get away from it all.

The trip to the library, however, was a completely different story. I had to grab my food in the dining hall, and Chen and his friends descended on me like vultures to carrion. By the time I came in, everyone had already arrived. I edged into the circle of people and sat down next to Lloyd.

"Phew! That was crazy," I said to no one in particular.

Lloyd nodded and took a sip of his miso soup.

"How are you doing?" I asked him. As bad is it was for me, it was probably worse for the first year.

Lloyd shrugged. "I'm alright. I unlocked my elemental power today."

Wait. The power the hat said he would unlock for himself? That power? And he just unlocked it? How can he sound so calm about this? I looked around at everyone else and they seemed curious too.

"Really?" I asked. "What is it?"

Lloyd took another sip of soup. The rest of us waited eagerly. "Yeah, I just produced a spark. Nothing much."

I grinned. "So you do belong in the Fire House after all."

Jay folded his arms. "Spark could mean lightning too, Kai."

I shook my head. "Definitely fire," I said.

"Lightning," Jay insisted.

"Oh, isn't that cute? They're fighting over the Garma-dork," a voice jeered.

All of us turned our heads simultaneously to see Chen leaning against a bookshelf.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

Chen smirked. "Did you really think I would just let you go? I saw you running away from the dining hall like a coward, so I followed you to give you the pay back you deserve."

"Leave my brother alone," Nya said.

"Yeah," Jay chimed in. "What did he ever do to you?"

Chen sneered. "He sided with the Garmadons, and that's reason enough."

"Seriously?" Cole asked. "What's your problem?"

Chen balled his fists and glared at him. "What's my problem?! His father killed my parents. That's my problem. And you know what else? The fact that they let the son of a murderer into this school, where he can do who knows what," he ranted.

Lloyd looked down at his bowl of soup. I felt bad for him. It's not like it was his fault that his father was evil. I put my hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him.

"Your reasoning is flawed. A father's actions do not predetermine the actions of the child," Zane argued logically.

"Besides, Lloyd would never hurt anyone," I said.

Chen's face grew red. "I don't care! My parents are dead and it's Garmadon's fault!" He charged into our circle, screaming wildly.

I had to throw myself on the ground to avoid getting trampled.

I scrambled up and snatched my wand out of my kimono. Chen spun around. His nostrils flared. He was going to charge again. I put my wand in front of me like a shield and prepared for the worst.

Chen ran forward, only to get pulled back. Cole had grabbed him under the arms and kept a tight grip on the squirming bully.

"Leave my friends alone!" he told him.

Chen roared in response and elbowed him in the face. Cole let go and sprinted toward me. I was going to have to stop him with magic, even if it did get me in trouble again. I shivered. Was it getting cold in here?

I looked down at the floor, and found that it was covered in ice crystals. I looked over at Zane, who was on his feet with his palm pointed at the ground. Nice.

Chen was too enraged to notice and ran right onto the ice, where he promptly slipped and fell on his back. He sat up, angrier than ever. Flames began to envelop his whole body, melting the ice to vapor around him.

"You can't stop me!" he yelled. "I'll get all you Garmadon-loving freaks!"

He pulled himself up to his feet and glared at all of us, his gaze resting on me last. This time, the bully didn't even charge. He raised a flaming hand and prepared to shoot me.

"Hey, Chen! Over here!" A voice called. Everyone turned their heads. Lloyd was standing close to the exit of the library. "Come and get me. My father killed your parents remember?"

Chen flared his nostrils, shooting out a puff of thick smoke. "Oh, I remember." Then he adjusted his aim, and shot at Lloyd. A ball of fire passed inches from the first year's face.

"Lloyd, no!" Nya screamed.

Lloyd gave her a sad look. "I can't let you guys get beaten up because of me."

Chen fired again, but Lloyd ducked and ran down the hallway.

"Come back, you coward!" The bully screamed while charging out of the library.

I looked at my friends in shock, and then we sprinted after them, Cole holding his bloody nose. All of this was happening so fast. I came out of the library, only to see the first year darting down a corner, with Chen not far behind.

"Wait, Lloyd!" I called. "You don't have to do this!"

Chen barreled after him, leaving us behind. I took a deep breath and began sprinting again. Jay was panting loudly beside me.

"Why did he have to go and be so heroic?" he asked between breaths.

I didn't waste my breath on replying. I just hoped we would make it in time. There was a couple times where I thought we had lost them, but then I picked up the trail of smoke Chen was leaving behind, and the chase went on.

Eventually, we came outside. Dark mist covered the courtyard, making the otherwise colorful landscape look grey. There was chill in the air that I couldn't explain. Gloom settled over me like a cloud. The feeling grew worse the closer I got to the koi pond. The water had completely frozen over, and the fish appeared to be dead underneath.

Chen was standing at the edge of the bank with his mouth wide open. I followed his gaze and my heart stopped. A dark, hooded figure was standing over Lloyd. Its decaying, grey hands reached out of the cloak to grab the poor first year. The monster took in a deep, rattling breath, seeming to suck more than the air.

I felt like I was four years old all over again. My parents, my real parents, were gone, leaving me all alone with Nya. How was I going to take care of her? How were we going to survive? Then I began to relive being bounced around in the foster system from home to home, where every day was a struggle to stay with Nya.

I sluggishly tilted my head to look toward the cloaked figure. It was leaning over Lloyd, looking like it was going to kiss him. Shock barely penetrated my gloom. I felt like I should be doing something, but I couldn't move, only watch as the monster move closer to Lloyd's face.

" _Expecto Patronum!"_ A voice boomed. I saw a flash of light, then a Chinese dragon, like the one on the door of the school, charged the cloaked figure. The monster looked up, and then was pushed back by the pale, smoky figure, until at last the figure drifted away.

The cloud that had enveloped me began to lift. I looked toward the sound of the voice to see Master Wu standing next to Zane. He must have gotten the professor when he first saw the figure.

Wu rushed over to his nephew's side and pulled something out of his robes. The rest of my friends and I followed. Chen simply stayed where he was, now that the professor was here.

I approached the professor's side and watched as he tried to get Lloyd to eat some…chocolate?

"What was that thing?" Jay demanded.

"And what was that light you shot at it?" Nya asked.

"What did it do to us?" Cole put in.

"Is Lloyd going to be alright?" I added.

Wu sighed. "That was a Dementor, one of the foulest beasts to walk the earth. The ministry sent them here as a precaution, because Garmadon had been spotted nearby." He paused, and we all looked at each other. "It feeds off happy memories," Wu continued, "leaving you with only your darkest emotions. I banished it with a patronus, an advanced form of magic, rather like a shield. And yes, Lloyd will be alright, once he eats this chocolate."

We all stared at him in disbelief.

"It really does help," Wu said. "Here."

He handed us each a piece of chocolate, even Zane.

"Master, as an android, I do not require food," he stated.

Wu didn't look at him, as he was too focused on helping Lloyd. "I know that, Zane. Just eat it."

I looked at it uncertainly. I didn't see how a simple piece of candy could make me feel better. I looked at the others and saw my reluctance reflected in their faces. At last, Zane was the first one to try it. The rest of us watched to see if anything would happen. I couldn't tell, but I thought that his expression grew a little lighter.

The chocolate was starting to melt in my hand. I decided that I wasn't going to let this chocolate go to waste, helpful or not. I popped in my mouth and swallowed. Almost immediately, I began to feel warmer.

"Wow," I said. The others followed suit and I could see the color return to their faces. Apparently chocolate does help.

Meanwhile, Wu had managed to get some down Lloyd's throat. He was sitting up and eating more of the candy bar.

"Who was crying?" he asked.

"Crying?" I repeated uncertainly.

"Yeah," Lloyd said. "I thought I heard sniffling and the sound of crackling flames…you guys didn't hear anything?"

All of us looked at each other, then at Master Wu, who merely frowned.

"No, I didn't hear anything. Did you guys?" I asked.

Everyone shook their heads. Wu put his hand on his nephew's shoulder. Lloyd looked to his uncle for reassurance.

"But I could have sworn…" he trailed off.

Wu sighed. "I have no doubt that you heard something, Lloyd, but no one here was crying." Lloyd looked down at the ground. "Let's go inside," Master Wu suggested.

He pulled his nephew up to his feet and led the way back to the monastery. "I will be sure to put up more powerful barriers to keep the Dementors off the ground," the professor assured us.

I nodded in response, then looked over at Chen. He was still standing were we'd left him last, with his mouth gaping like a fish. Master Wu frowned at the bully. He offered him the last of the chocolate, but warned him, "If you have a problem with my nephew, bring it to me."

Chen swallowed and nodded quickly. The professor's stern tone had an air of 'don't mess with me or else'. I grinned privately. We probably wouldn't have any more problems with the bully, and if we did, we had the headmaster on our side.

On a darker note, Garmadon had been spotted nearby. Things were getting dangerous around here. I just hoped that the barriers around school would be enough to keep him out…

* * *

AN: Oh man, it's getting intense! Will Garmadon break through? If so, what does he want with Lloyd? Read on to find out next time! Your support is appreciated!


	7. Chapter 6: Dr Julien

Interlude

* * *

 _The shadow approached the monastery of a school. It was just like he remembered, minus the Dementor guards everywhere. It had taken most of his magic skill to put them away. Fortunately, they weren't very smart creatures and the shadow didn't have very many happy memories to feed on._

 _He approached the veil cautiously. This would be the true test of his training the past eleven years. If he could break through the protective charms around the school, then he would prove once and for all that he was stronger than Wu. The shadow smirked. He couldn't wait to see the look on his brother's face._

 _He pulled out his wand, and raised his left hand. The shadow pounded the veil with spells and shot white-hot fireballs at the barrier. Smoke billowed and the shield flashed and buckled. The shadow paused and waited for the dust to clear. His red eyes glared and he nearly screamed in rage. The veil stood defiantly in front him, taunting the shadow to try again._

 _Even after all these years, his younger brother was still stronger than him. And with all the damage he left on the rocks, everyone would be alerted to his presence. The shadow glowered at the school. What would it take to reach his goal?_

 _He folded his four arms and thought for a moment. There were still some dark tricks up his sleeves, and besides, there had to be more than one way into the school. The shadow watched an owl fly straight through the barrier. If only he was an animagus…but that was magic the shadow had never bothered to mess with._

 _The shadow continued to think back to his own school days. As a boy, he had explored all the crooks and crannies of the building, but none of those would work as an entrance for a grown man. The shadow sighed. It seemed like it was going to be a lot harder than he originally thought to get in the school._

 _But maybe, just maybe, there was another way to get what he wanted…_

* * *

I sat down with my tray of food. Surprisingly, getting attacked by Chen and a crazy Dementor had drawn my friends and I all closer together. Everyone had warmed up to Lloyd by now, even Jay, who had kept a nervous distance before. After the first year had risked his neck to try to help us, it made him one of us.

There was a change in Lloyd too. He seemed to be more comfortable with us and would join in our conversations more, laughing and joking around with us. I was happy for him. I know this year had been hard for him, but at least he seemed to be doing better now, even in the face of Wu's latest announcement.

At breakfast today, the headmaster announced that evidence had been found that Garmadon had tried to break into the school. He managed to slip past the Dementors and nearly broke through the barrier. Fortunately, it was still holding, but Wu had called in wizarding experts across Ninjago to strengthen the school's defenses.

Now, my friends and I were trying to get away from all the Garmadon drama and focus on simpler things, like electives for next year.

"I'd like to take this Ninjanuity class," I said while skimming the list.

"Or how about Divinations class?" Cole suggested.

"I don't know," Jay said uneasily. "It sounds kind of weird."

"I'd take Care of Magical Creatures," Nya remarked while looking over my shoulder.

"Meh," I said indifferently. "There are just so many choices." I looked up from the list. "What about you, Zane?"

Zane looked up from his book. "Well—"

"Am I interrupting anything?" A kind, elderly voice asked.

Zane stopped and stared just over my head. I followed his gaze and looked toward the library entrance. A man with grey hair, glasses and a lab coat was standing by our little corner.

"Who are you?" Jay asked bluntly.

The man started. "Oh, right, of course. I'm Dr. Julien, Zane's father."

I looked at Zane in shock. His father?

"And what are you doing here?" I asked.

Dr. Julien smiled. "Wu told me you'd be in the library."

"No, I mean, why are you _here_?"

Zane's father frowned. "Wu called me here to strengthen the defenses, along with some other wizards of course. And since I haven't seen my son in over a year, I thought I'd visit you. How have you been doing Zane?"

We all looked at our friend. He appeared to be deep in thought, lost in his own little world. I didn't blame him. Dr. Julien had lied to Zane his entire life. After an awkward pause, he lifted his head.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Zane's father frowned. "Tell you what?"

"Don't pretend you don't know!" I snapped.

Despite everything, Dr. Julien seemed legitimately confused. "What do I know?"

That just irritated me all the more. "Zane's a _robot_!" I snarled.

Dr. Julien stepped back like I had struck him. "How did you…" he trailed off.

"I was attacked by the Great Devourer," Zane answered him, "and when I was examined in the infirmary, they found wires and my power source."

The old man slapped his forehead and sighed. "I never wanted to believe this day would come," he muttered. "But I guess I always knew it would happen."

Dr. Julien looked so sad; I almost felt sorry for him. I looked over at Zane, who still had a blank expression on his face.

He repeated his question from earlier. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Zane's father sighed again. "I meant to tell you the truth, I really did, but…"

We all looked at each other as the old man paused.

"But...?" Nya prodded.

Dr. Julien sunk down on the floor next to us. "But it warmed my heart when you called me father. I was never able to have children of my own, so you were like the son I never had. And you were so content to be a human being; I just couldn't take that joy away from you." The old man shook his head slowly and continued. "I told myself that I would tell you the truth once you were older, but the years passed and I couldn't bring myself to do it. Then, you got your letter and before I knew it, it was April and you were going off to school. I wanted you to live a normal life among your peers, so I thought—" He put his head in his hands. "Well, it doesn't matter what I thought. I was wrong not to tell you, and I'm sorry."

I looked from the man huddled in the corner to the impassive boy leaning against a bookshelf. All of us looked to Zane for our cue to respond. His father seemed sincere, but it seemed wrong to say so in front of our friend. After all, he was the one who got lied to his whole life.

"I don't understand," Zane started slowly. Dr. Julien lifted his head to look his son in the eyes, while he continued, "How did you… make me? How can I preform magic? Why didn't I find out about this sooner?"

Well, while it wasn't an acceptance of his father's apology, it was a start. A start that Dr. Julien wasn't going to miss.

"It's all very complicated and difficult to explain. Perhaps it would be best if I showed you."

We all watched as father approached son. Dr. Julien reached out to grab Zane's panel, but thought better of it.

"May I?" he asked.

After a second's hesitation, Zane pulled back his kimono in acceptance. His father masterfully opened the hatch that revealed his innards, unlike my clumsy attempt last year, and soon we were all staring at the wires and metal that made up our friend.

"It wasn't easy to make you, Zane," Dr. Julien said. "I tried to use regular wires, but they just didn't transfer the kind of power you needed to function properly. In the end, I had to use finely wound unicorn hairs to transmit the power from your core." He gestured to the glowing matter where Zane's heart should have been.

"What's it made of?" Jay asked.

Dr. Julien glanced at Jay for a moment before turning back to Zane. "I was getting to that. I transmitted some of my own elemental magic into a crystal, which I protected with metal. I can show you your plans later, if you like. Once I hooked it up with the unicorn hair, it allowed you to use magic. However, the crystal's powers are limited, so I designed a kill switch if you ever overused your powers."

The old man played with a panel in Zane's chest, and revealed a bunch of switches with different labels including humor (which was turned off), a memory switch, and, right by his power core, was the kill switch.

"As far as how you didn't discover this sooner," Zane's father hesitated. "I'm ashamed to say this, but you did. In order to allow you to live a normal life, I designed this."

He pointed to the memory switch. Zane looked down, and as he read the label, his eyes widened and he looked up at his father in horror.

"You erased my memories?"

We all looked at Dr. Julien, who sighed.

"I did."

A storm of rage built up in my chest. "How could you do that?" I asked him.

"You have to understand," he tried to explain. "At the time, I believed I was doing the right thing."

"How can _erasing_ someone's memories be the right thing?" I demanded.

Zane's father sighed again. "I realize that I made a mistake, and I truly am sorry. But I want you to know Zane, that I'm only doing this because I love you." Then he reached toward the memory switch.

Zane seemed to be frozen, unable to move as his father came closer, and closer.

Jay gasped, Nya was screaming, and Cole looked like he was going to tackle the old man. Time seemed to slow down. I rushed toward Dr. Julien and tried to grab his hand, but it was too late. He had flipped Zane's memory switch to on. Our friend froze, a blank expression on his face.

Every shred of sympathy I had for Zane's father disappeared in an angry flash.

"NOO!" I cried.

"HOW COULD YOU?" Jay screamed.

"He was our friend!" Nya said.

Lloyd, who had been silent this whole time, finally spoke up. "You had no right!"

Dr. Julien closed his eyes and accepted our rants silently. "I didn't erase Zane's memories. I only gave him back the memories I took away from all those years ago."

I paused for a moment, and looked over at Zane, who was staring off into space.

"Really?" I asked.

The old man nodded. "He will be remembering the early days of when I first made him, and all the things I taught him, including his identity."

"So how long is this remembering going to take?" Cole asked.

Dr. Julien shrugged. "I don't know. All we can do is wait."

So, all of us watched Zane, hoping that any minute now, he would wake up and come back to us. Every second felt like agony. I hated to see Zane so…distant. I stared at his face, willing him to come back to us. Then, in the corner of his eye, a glimmer of light shimmered, then streaked down his face. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was a tear. But Zane was a machine. He couldn't cry. Could he?

"Zane!" Jay cried. "You're okay!"

"I was worried," Nya said.

"So, are your memories, you know, back?" I tried to ask.

Zane nodded. "I remember everything." Then he looked at his father, who waited patiently for his response. "And I understand," he replied.

Dr. Julien's face lifted in pleased relief. "I'm glad," he said at last.

I felt like an outsider pressing in on a private conversation. Lloyd was already way ahead of me and was slipping out the library entrance. I decided to make a more tactful exit.

"Well, I'd better be getting off to class," I said.

Nya saw what I was doing and quickly stood up. "Me too."

Cole looked at us, and then at Zane and his father, and then followed our lead.

"Yeah, my next class is on the other side of the building, so I should probably leave too."

Jay looked at the clock. "But we still have over ten—Ow! That was my foot!" He glared at Cole, then quickly said, "I mean, I'm going now."

We all filed out of the library, trying to give the two of them as much space as possible. I stayed back to make sure everyone else was leaving, but I couldn't help but take one last peek. I was glad I did.

Just before I left, I saw a beaming Dr. Julien lean forward and give Zane a long, warm hug. And I watched Zane return his loving embrace.

* * *

AN: Hope you enjoyed a lighter chapter! Until next time-I appreciate your support!


	8. Chapter 7-Call to Action

Chapter 7: Call to Action

* * *

That weekend, I woke up late. It was Saturday after all, and most of my essays were almost done for once, thanks to Zane's surprisingly good mood, and so I simply didn't set an alarm. It felt great.

I had a dream last night, but I couldn't remember what it was. Something about a green light, and Lloyd, and maybe Garmadon, it was kind of hard to tell with the foggy haze of my mind, but oh well. It was probably best I forgot about it. My dreams only made me feel worse. It wasn't like I could do anything about them anyways.

Everyone else had already left, so I had the whole bathroom to myself. I came downstairs in my pajamas, yawning and stretching the whole way and sat on the couch by the fire. Only I wasn't alone.

Lloyd was sitting in a chair not far from me, staring at thin sheet of parchment. I came over and looked over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

The first year jumped and clutched the paper tightly to his chest before I could read it.

"Nothing," he said quickly.

I folded my arms. "Oh, yeah? Then you shouldn't have any problems if I read it." I reached for the paper, but Lloyd tucked it behind his back.

"I told you. It's not important. Don't you got something better to do?" Lloyd snapped.

"Not really," I replied. I was dying to know what was on that parchment. "Did that come in this morning?" I'm guessing it was a letter.

"Last night actually," Lloyd answered. "But that doesn't matter. I was just about to throw it away."

Okay, now I was concerned. If it came in last night, how long had he been sitting by the fire reading the same thing over and over again? Lloyd tossed the letter toward the fire, but I stepped passed him and grabbed the paper in midair.

"Hey!" Lloyd protested.

I pushed his short arms away and held the letter up so he couldn't reach it. It was nice being two years older and several inches taller than Lloyd. I tried to read the parchment, but it was hard with the first year jumping all over me. The words shook, and the handwriting was terrible to begin with.

My eyes were immediately drawn to the bottom of the page, where the big, loopy writing was easiest to read. I froze in shock, which was broken with a wave of pain. Lloyd pushed off my foot and jumped as high as he could. I looked down right as he grabbed the paper out of my hand and firmly chucked it in the fire.

I sat down and nursed my foot while Lloyd panted heavily, staring deep into the flames.

Once he was done, I said, "Garmadon sent you a letter?"

Lloyd spun around. "How much did you read?" he demanded right in my face.

I leaned away from him. "Relax. I only saw his signature."

Lloyd breathed a huge sigh of relief and sunk into a chair several feet from me. I wondered what the dark wizard had said to make him so upset.

I edged a little closer as I asked, "So, what did he say?"

Lloyd stared deep into the flames and pretended he didn't hear me.

"Come on," I prodded. "You can tell me."

"It's none of your business," he replied.

I frowned. "Lloyd, I'm only asking because I'm worried about you." I paused. "Please."

The first year let out a pent up breath of air. "He wants to meet with me tonight."

A gasp escaped from my lips. "You're not going to do it are you?"

Lloyd said nothing.

I jumped to my feet, my heart pounding in my chest. I could just see the dark shadow tossing Lloyd around like a rag doll.

"No, you can't! He's a dark wizard! He'll kill you!" I begged.

Lloyd glared at me. "I have to do this! Please, Kai. Just let me go. It's the only way."

What was in that letter? I took a step forward toward the first year. "The only way for what? Lloyd, whatever Garmadon told you, I'm sure we can deal with it."

"No you can't!" he snapped. "I'm the one he wants."

"But why?" I asked.

Lloyd looked at his shoes. "Maybe…it has something to do with my powers. Yesterday, Wu had me try to narrow down which element I had, but I was able to do fire, lightning… all of them."

I gripped the edge of the couch. "You what?"

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah. Maybe Garmadon thinks I'm some kind of threat."

Something just wasn't clicking in my brain. "But how would he know that?" I asked slowly.

"I don't know," Lloyd growled. Then after a moment, he whispered. "I don't know, but I'm going tonight. If you want to help me, you can come. Otherwise, just let me go."

Unease settled in my gut, and I hesitated only a moment before answering, "Of course, I'll come with you."

Lloyd gave me a relieved smile, and I knew immediately I'd made the right choice. I stood up.

"What time do we leave?"

"The letter said to meet him outside the veil at midnight, but I'd like to get there a little sooner."

I nodded. Made sense. "Alright. Before we go, let me just talk to the others."

Lloyd nodded. On Saturday, it was harder to find a meeting place for all of us, but within thirty minutes, I had found Zane and Cole. Now all that was left was Jay and Nya. I checked the courtyards, the dining hall, the library, the kitchen, everywhere and still no sign of them. I wondered if them were still in their dormitories.

After a couple hours of searching, I decided it would be best to just send the two of them an owl telling them to meet the rest of us in the library. It worked last year with Nya, so it should work again now.

I came down to the library where the others were already waiting for me. "Did you find them?" Cole asked.

I shook my head and sat down a on a rug next to Lloyd. "But I sent Nya and Jay a letter, so they should be coming soon."

We sat in silence. I glanced up at the clock and almost fifteen minutes had passed. Huffing and puffing behind me made me turn my head.

Jay and Nya were standing next to each other, completely breathless. "Sorry, we came as soon as we could," Nya said in between breaths.

I looked between the two of them, and noticed Jay's arm was wrapped around my sister's back. Mostly for support, but still. Part of me wanted to go over there and rip that arm away from her.

Fortunately, Jay let go and slumped to the floor, while Nya sat opposite him. Now that everyone was here, it was time to tell them about the letter. I explained the situation and told the others about how Lloyd and I were going to meet Garmadon before midnight.

"So, I'd like you to come with us, but if you guys don't want to come, I completely understand," I finished.

Nya was the first one to answer. "Of course we're coming! I'm not going to let you charge off and do something crazy without me," she insisted.

The others nodded. "We're you're friends, Kai," Zane said.

"And we'll stick with you till the end," Cole added.

Jay sighed. "We've been through so much together, I can't really back out now." I smiled gratefully at him, I knew he never really liked going on these adventures. "Even if we are going to our deaths," he added gloomily.

On that happy note, Lloyd said, "Thanks for coming with us. We'll see you all at midnight."

I got up and made my way out of the library with the first year. I glanced back, and noticed that Jay and Nya were coming out together, hand in hand. Grrrr. Then Jay said something that made my sister laugh. Well, as long as Nya was happy, I guess it was okay… Anyways, I had more important things to worry about. Like staying alive.

* * *

It was hard to wait, but five hours later I was putting on the same black clothes as I had the night I had my first year. They were getting a little small though. I was going to have to buy new ones. Oh, well. Since wearing a flashy, red kimono was out, they would do for now. I grabbed my wand and headed out the door.

" _Lumos_ ," I whispered.

With the help of the small light, I made my way down the dark corridors to the front of the school. Once outside, I met up with the others where we began to head to the outskirts of the veil. By some unspoken agreement, we made as little noise as possible. There wasn't much I wanted to say anyways, what with the weight of breaking the rules and going to meet a powerful, dark wizard hanging over our heads.

Instinct stopped me right before the veil. This was the only thing between Garmadon and me. I looked at the others, took a deep breath, and came out the other side. Within a few seconds, all my friends had joined me and nothing bad had happened yet. The dark wizard was nowhere to be seen from our vantage point at the top of the mountain, so there was nothing to do but wait.

The minutes passed and still no sign of him. Most of my friends were sitting in the grass. Cole was snoring softly. I shivered. It was unusually cold for a September night. It had just come on suddenly too, no breeze or anything. Just a life sucking cold from out of nowhere. A gloom began to settle over me, and I remembered where I had felt this feeling before.

It was at the edge of the koi pond when I was chasing down Lloyd and Chen. That creature with the hood had been standing over the first year, what did Master Wu call it? A deme-demi, d something? Dark memories flooded my mind, and a sense of hopelessness dragged my heart to my stomach. The feeling was the same as back then, only a lot worse. Soon I saw why.

Dark figures with hands outstretched had completely surrounded us. We were trapped with no way out.

* * *

AN: Oh no! The gang's in trouble now! Stay tuned for next week! Thanks for your support!


	9. Chapter 8-The Dark Wizard

Chapter 8: The Dark Wizard

* * *

I finally remembered what they were called, not that it did me much good. The Dementors were coming closer. I was a child again, waking up to another regular morning. Only it wasn't. When I went into my parents' bedroom, nobody was there. Mom and Dad had left me. I was all alone.

" _Expecto Patronum_!"

I was back on the Mountain of a Million Steps. Zane was casting a small, bluish light that was just barely holding back the wave of hooded monsters. Every time one came forward, it would bounce off the pale blue shield. But every time, the light grew fainter. And the gloom grew stronger. In fact, it seemed like Dementors were only feeding off the shield.

I collapsed on the ground next to my friends and even Zane had fallen to his knees. His shield flickered, and then went out. I tried to pull out my wand.

" _E-e…ex…Expect…expecto patronum,"_ I sputtered with all the force I could muster, but not even a flicker of light came to my wand. I licked my lips and tried to fight off the despair that was engulfing me.

" _Ex_ _pecto_ – _"_ I faltered.

My vision was growing dark. We weren't going to make it, and Garmadon wasn't even here yet. The Dementors were coming closer. A mist began to descend over me. Cold, clammy hands latched onto my throat, forcing me upwards. Putrid breath coated my face. A voice told me that my sister and I would have to be separated. I was going to be alone. I would die alone.

" _Expecto Patronum!"_ A deep voice bellowed. I lifted my head off the ground and looked up. A dark shape was standing in front of my friends and I, with a ghostly shark coming out of his wand. The hands let go of my neck and the cold left me. Now that I could breathe again, I looked up and watched the shark go to work.

It launched itself at the Dementors and they scattered before it, the shark decimating anyone who got in its way. It swarmed in all directions with its jaws snapping, and wriggling through the air. At last, all the hooded figures were gone, and I remembered the end of my memory. We fought and resisted the system and eventually, my sister and I got placed in a home, together.

I forced myself to sit up and look at the others. Everyone seemed to be getting more or less back to their feet, except—

"L-loyd!" Our rescuer shouted, shoving me back to the ground in order to get to the first year.

I pushed myself back up and glared at him. What was his deal anyway? And how did he know Lloyd's name? Or maybe he didn't know it, since he called him L-loyd instead.

After a painful moment of silence, the first year opened his eyes. The dark figure breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Lloyd gasped, then began forcing himself backwards along the ground. "Get away from me!" he yelled.

"Wait, Lloyd, he saved our lives," Nya tried to explain.

Lloyd panted on the ground and shook his head. "No…no, Garmadon would never…"

Garmadon? I looked back at our rescuer. I couldn't believe I didn't see it before. Dark figure, knew Lloyd's name, it was so obvious now.

I backed up away from the dark wizard and drew my wand. The others pushed themselves up to their feet and formed a weak circle around the warlord, who still hadn't moved from his position on the ground.

"Whatever you're planning, Garmadon, we'll stop you," I said with as much confidence as I could muster. To be honest, I was still shaken after the Dementor attack, and wasn't sure I could do much of anything against the warlord, and my friends didn't look much better.

The dark wizard pushed himself up with his lower two arms, and with one of his upper arms, he put his wand away in his cloak. What was he doing?

"Face it, you're using all of your effort just to hold up your arm, and you think you can stop me?" he asked.

I looked down at my wand, which had dropped considerably. Garmadon was right. I couldn't win, but I couldn't give up either.

"We won't let you hurt Lloyd," my sister insisted, picking up right where I left off. I grinned gratefully at her, even though she couldn't see me in the darkness. That's my sister.

Garmadon laughed. "If I wanted to hurt L-loyd, I would have just left you guys to the Dementors."

"So then what do you want?" Jay asked hesitantly.

"I want to see my son," the dark lord answered. "Especially now that he's a wizard like me."

"I'm nothing like you," Lloyd spat.

Garmadon sighed. "I suppose my brother told you that I'm an evil warlord who sided with the Overlord during the dark ages?"

What? "Are you saying Master Wu is liar?" I demanded. I pulled my ten-ton arm back up and pointed my wand straight at the man who dared to taint our professor's reputation.

The dark wizard blinked, extinguishing his red eyes for a brief second. "No. I did pillage several peaceful villages, conquered a couple cities, and I suppose I did serve the Overlord for a time. But, I doubt he told you the whole story."

"Uncle Wu told us enough," Lloyd snapped.

"Oh yeah?" Garmadon asked. "Did he tell you how I met your mother?"

Whoa. Low blow from the dark wizard. We all looked at Lloyd, whose conflicted face glowed eerily from the light of Garmadon's eyes.

Lloyd sighed. "No."

Garmadon smirked, revealing a row of pointed teeth that glinted in the darkness.

"That's what I thought." He paused, almost like he was waiting for something. A reaction from Lloyd perhaps?

Silence buzzed in my ears. Even the ambient nighttime sounds had fallen quiet, as if they too were waiting. The first year didn't give his father the satisfaction of a response, but the tension in the air was tangible.

The warlord broke first. "It was during a raging war," he began. "I was pillaging a peaceful village. Spells were flying, aurors were everywhere, and that's when I saw her standing across a crowded battlefield. She was fighting for good, and was looking great doing it. I summoned all of my courage to approach her. I asked her if she fought here often, and she said, 'I do.' And let me tell you, L-loyd, when our eyes met, sparks flew, literally. I loved your mother, more than I can ever say. We were a true power couple. I thought we were going to rule the world together, but then, we had you."

I was so confused. Lloyd's mother was an auror? And they fell in love even though they were opposite sides? None of it made sense.

Garmadon continued. "When you were born, your mother and I got into our first real fight. Would our son grow up to be a warlord like me, or a noble wizard like her? Those were some of the darkest days of my life. In the end, your mother won, like she always did. But in order to raise you as a wizard, I had to give up my evil ways."

Well, obviously that didn't work out. The dark wizard was standing right in front us.

"So, what happened?" Lloyd asked slowly. Seemed curiosity was getting the better of him.

Garmadon sighed. "The Overlord didn't take to kindly to my decision. He threatened you and your mother's life if I didn't come back to his side. I tried to fight him, even though the prophecy said only the Green Wizard could defeat him."

Green Wizard? Like the one in my dream? So the shadow was the Overlord and not Garmadon after all?

"But in the end, I was too weak. I had no choice, but to join the Overlord again. Not long after that, he was defeated, but I couldn't face Koko again. Not after what I had done. I had never felt so helpless in my whole life. I hated that feeling, and so I vowed that I wouldn't come back until I was strong enough to protect my own family," the warlord finished.

"So why have you come back?" I asked him.

Garmadon looked at me, taking his eyes off Lloyd for the first time. "I heard that my son was coming to this school. After training for eleven years, I'm finally ready to come home."

"That's convenient," Lloyd said sarcastically. "Now you want to be my dad after all these years?"

"Yeah, how can we trust you?" Jay demanded. "You're an evil warlord!"

"Lying is probably second nature to you," Cole added.

Garmadon sighed. "Yes, it used to be, but I assure you I'm telling the truth."

"Prove it!" I snapped.

"Ask my brother. He officiated our wedding."

"But what about the end of your story?" Lloyd asked. "How do we know you're not lying?"

"I saved your life. I'm telling you, I've changed!"

"Sure," I answered, not believing him.

Garmadon looked around at all of us, his eyes gazing on Lloyd last of all. "L-loyd, I—"

"There he is!" a voice cried.

Strange figures quickly surrounded us on all sides, with the Dementors behind them. Dark memories began to flood my brain again. Then the minister himself arrived in a flourish. Smoke and sparks billowed everything.

"Not one more word out of you, Garmadon!" he huffed. A Dementor hovered by his shoulder.

"Curse these things," the minister muttered. " _Expecto Patronum!"_ The Dementors scattered, then disappeared, leaving us alone with the wizards.

"Don't worry, dark wizard," the minister mocked. "You'll be seeing them again soon enough. Once we rescue these children, they'll want to kiss you goodbye."

Garmadon's red eyes widened. I didn't know what that meant, but it didn't sound good. And we hadn't even finished talking to the warlord yet.

"We don't need rescuing! He was just telling us valuable information!" I exclaimed.

"Ridiculous!" The minister waved our concern aside. "He must have used the Confundus Charm, poor kids. Come along now. Nasty thing, the Dementor's kiss. Hate for you to get caught up in it."

Anger boiled up in my chest. "We're not Confunded and we aren't leaving!"

The minister frowned. "Yes, I'm afraid you are." He pulled out his wand. "I didn't want it to come to this, but, _Stupify!_ "

A flash of red light was the last thing I saw before my body crumpled, sending me crashing to the ground.

Faintly, I heard someone screaming, "L-loyd!" Then I lost consciousness.

* * *

AN: Oh no! What will happen to Garmadon? And the rest of gang? Tune in next week!


	10. Chapter 9-Master Wu's Secret

Chapter 9: Master Wu's Secret

* * *

I opened my eyes and found myself on a white hospital bed, next to a huge pile of chocolate. I looked around and saw that all of my friends were here too. Someone must have brought us to the infirmary once the minister had knocked us out. Speaking of which, how could he just do that to Garmadon? He was just talking to us. So maybe they were all lies, but still.

I sighed, pushed myself up so I could reach the pile of small treats, and took a bite of chocolate. It helped a little, but I still felt depressed. I ate another one. Across from me, Cole had finished his entire pile. The others were starting to wake up.

"The Minister just attacked us!" Jay was saying. "How could he do that?"

"I don't know, but what do you think happened to Garmadon?" Nya asked, completely changing the subject.

"Based off the Minister, the Dementor's kiss does not sound favorable," Zane surmised, sitting perfectly straight in his bed.

"And I never got to hear what he was going to say to me," Lloyd said sadly. "The last thing I heard was Garmadon calling my name."

I sighed. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now."

"Or maybe you can," someone said.

I jerked my head and there was Master Wu, standing in the middle of the infirmary. When did he show up?

"I too would like to speak with my brother again. The minister is foolish, and will set the Dementors on Garmadon before we even have a chance to interrogate him, but all is not lost."

"Really?" I asked.

Master Wu pulled out an hourglass on a chain from his robe. "Did you ever wonder how I was teaching both Elemental Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"Well, yeah," Jay said.

"I used this time-turner to be in both places at once, and now, you can do the same to rescue my brother before it's too late."

"Seriously?" I asked. All of this seemed to good to be true. How was going back in time even possible?

Master Wu nodded. "Just place this around your neck and turn the hourglass—twice should do it—and make sure you are not seen." The professor gave the time-turner to Lloyd. "Save your father before it's too late."

Lloyd got out of the bed and put on the necklace.

"Wait," Cole said. "That's chain's so small. We're not all fit in it."

"No," Wu said simply.

"So then who's going with Lloyd?" Jay asked.

"Not you," Cole asserted. "You'd just run away first sign of a Dementor."

Jay's face turned red. "Oh yeah? Well, with your fat head, you wouldn't fit in the first place."

Cole jumped out of bed. "Say that again. I dare you."

"Boys, calm down," Nya snapped.

Jay glared at Cole, but stopped speaking. Thank goodness. Still, the unspoken question loomed over our heads. Who would be traveling back in time?

A voice broke the silence. "It should be Lloyd's decision," Zane said reasonably.

We all looked at the first year, who didn't meet our gaze. He fiddled with the chain of the time-turner for minutes that felt like an eternity. He mumbled something that we couldn't make out.

"What?" Jay asked.

Lloyd looked up at me. "Kai," he said louder.

Me? Lloyd chose me? How was I supposed to respond to that? I walked forward, as if in a dream. A cold chain brushed the back of my neck. The hourglass turned back in slow motion.

"Remember, you cannot be seen," Wu reminded us as the room disappeared.

Everyone disappeared from the beds. In fact, the entire infirmary was empty. The lights were out.

I lit my wand and looked around. "What time is it?" I asked.

Lloyd peered into the darkness. "Sometime before midnight?" he guessed.

I made my way to the door, while Lloyd stayed rooted to the spot. I sighed and turned back to him. "We might as well make our way outside. There's nothing we can do in here."

Lloyd hesitated. "Just be careful. It would be really bad if we ran into ourselves."

I nodded, then opened the door ever so slightly and took a peek around the corner. "All clear," I whispered. We snuck down the corner and I went to turn right toward the main entrance.

"Wait," Lloyd whispered urgently. "Let's go out by the courtyard. Then we won't see our other selves at all."

That was smart. I nodded and we went the long way outside. It was better than taking any risks. There was the veil. I wondered if we should go through it or not. We were invisible on this side, but at the same time, we couldn't see what was going on. However, it was pitch black and the mountains were full of places to hide. I extinguished my wand and plunged through, Lloyd at my side.

A gasp roared in my ears and I quickly pulled the first year behind a rock. I hoped no one heard that. The numbing effect of the Dementors was starting to get to me too, but that was no reason to get careless.

When my heart stopped pounding, I pushed my back away from the hard rock and glared at Lloyd. "What are you doing?" I hissed.

"You didn't hear that?" he asked.

I shook my head, then realized he couldn't see me in the night. The stars and moon offered a lot less light than I thought they would. It didn't help that a strange mist seemed to have descended on the mountain.

"No, what?" I replied.

"When we were going through the veil, I thought I heard flames."

"Flames?" I repeated.

"You know, the crackling of fire? I thought we were jumping straight into an inferno."

"No," I assured him. "We're fine now, but we won't be if we're seen."

Lloyd got my point and fell silent. Maybe I was too hard on him. Both our nerves were on edge. I wished I could see his face. I sighed as loudly as I dared and pressed up against the rock, trying to listen for our other selves.

" _Expecto Patronum._ " Zane had cast his patronus/shield thing. It was glowing enough that I could finally see what was going on. Everyone had collapsed, except for me and Zane, and what was with my hair? Yikes.

"What's going on?" Lloyd whispered to me.

"The Dementors are here," I replied. "Zane's shield is going to give out any minute, and then Garmadon is going to come to our rescue."

The bluish light flickered, then went out. Wow. I got that spot on. I watched myself try to cast my own weak patronus, but utterly failed. That was irritating. When all this was over, I was going to have to learn how to cast a proper patronus like Wu's dragon or Garmadon's shark.

A mist rolled over the clearing, reaching its long fingers as far back as our rock. I shivered and tried to shake off the cold gloom. I couldn't afford to think back to that day. "Get a grip," I told myself.

The dark was getting on my nerves. I lit my wand again, but kept it behind the rock just in case anyone was still with it. I highly doubted they were, but it never hurt to be safe, as I had learned over the last two years. Where was Garmadon? A Dementor had just grabbed me by its disgusting, rotting hand. Did this happen last time? _Come on. Come on._ I silently begged. _Where are you?_

"Is he coming?" Lloyd asked.

" _Expecto Patronum!"_ the dark wizard bellowed. I breathed a sigh of relief. We were saved.

The mist cleared and our other selves began to wake up one by one. Garmadon ran over to Lloyd's side, and the other Lloyd tensed beside me.

"L-loyd!" the warlord cried.

Now that I knew what was going to happen, I sniggered. "L-loyd," I repeated back to myself and started shaking with laughter.

"Quiet," Lloyd said.

I couldn't stop. My nerves broke and all the nervous tension came out in a giant flood. I kept laughing, just because it felt so good. Especially after that Dementor attack. Lloyd had woken up and revealed who our rescuer really was. Jay's pale face in the red light of Garmadon's eyes was priceless. I doubled over, leaning all my weight on the rock.

"Stop it," Lloyd insisted.

But I couldn't stop. I really needed this.

"Kai, I'm serious. You need to stop."

"Kai."

"Kai!"

He clamped his hand over my mouth, but it was too late. A head peaked around the corner of our rock. I froze. Oh no. No, no, no. This wasn't happening. I did not just get us discovered.

I tried to take in a deep breath. Maybe we could pull this off. After all, these were weird circumstances. Maybe…

White hair and kimono glinted in the darkness. All my hopes died. It was Zane. And Zane wasn't going to be fooled easily. He looked over at the circle, and then back at us.

"Kai? Lloyd?" He asked uncertainly.

Great. Just great. I had just broken the number one rule that Master Wu told us not to do at all costs. We had been seen.

* * *

Oh no! Kai blew it! Tune in next week! Thanks for your support!


	11. Chapter 10-Operation Warlord

Chapter 10: Operation Warlord

* * *

"What do we do?" Lloyd whispered urgently in my ear. To be honest, I had no idea. I thought that maybe the world would explode or something more dramatic since we had just broke a major time travel rule, but instead I was left just staring back at Zane, who was still waiting for an answer.

I tried to mumble something, but all I got was a disgusting taste of a grimy palm. In response, Lloyd slowly moved his hand from my mouth to let me speak.

"We can't let him go back and tell the others about us," I whispered back. One thing was for sure, meeting our other selves did not happen in the other timeline. Who knows what would happen then?

Zane watched the two of us curiously. We needed to act fast, before the situation got any worse.

"Any suggestions?" Lloyd asked.

I thought for a moment and one popped into my head. "We're from the future—" I blurted. Lloyd's hand jerked, but this time I was ready for him. I pushed the first year away, never taking my eyes off my friend. There was no turning back now.

"—And we've come to rescue Garmadon before the minister can perform the Dementor's kiss on him," I explained.

Zane stared blankly at me. "How did you get here? And, why are we rescuing a dark wizard?" he asked.

"It's a long story," Lloyd interrupted me before I could tell him about the time-turner and the whole conversation with Garmadon.

"The point is," I said, glaring at Lloyd to get him to stop and let me handle this. "We could use all the help we can get. The Dementors are too powerful for us to handle, and—" I hesitated. I hated admitting my weaknesses. "You're the only one who can produce a patronus."

Zane shook his head. "My patronus is only non-corporeal. I do not have the ability to cast the charm properly."

"I'm sure you can figure it out," I assured my friend. "Besides, it's better than what I can do. I couldn't even get my wand to glow."

"It's more than just saying the incantation," Zane explained. "Master Wu described it to me. You have to think of a happy memory and let it fill your entire being, then say Expecto Patronus."

It was nice to know that my failure wasn't a lack of skill. But still, I was doing it wrong the entire time! Now that I knew what I was actually doing, I'm sure I could cast a patronus. I just needed a happy memory. Spending time laughing with Nya in meadow during the hot summer? Coming in the library for lunch after a long day to relax with everyone? Walking through the grand wooden doors of school for the very first time? Maybe? None of them seemed strong enough though.

I wonder what memory Zane used…

"Guys! Something's happening!" Lloyd whispered urgently.

Zane and I joined him at the edge of the rock. The minister was climbing the stairs. Other wizards were swarming the rock side. I extinguished my wand and hoped no one had seen us.

"There he is!"

My heart caught in my throat, then I realized they were talking about Garmadon. All this sneaking around was getting on my nerves. I wished everyone would go away and we could get this over with. The minister began to deliver his speech about Garmadon, and the Dementor's kiss, and you must come with me or else.

I heard myself yelling. My voice sounded a lot squeakier than it did in my head. So weird. The minister was drawing his wand. Lloyd and I knew what was coming, but Zane seemed to be frozen in shock.

Red flashes shot into the night. Garmadon called out Lloyd's name one last time before collapsing on the ground. So we are all caught up to the last thing I remember.

"The minister just stupefied everyone," Zane whispered, as if he didn't believe what he had just seen.

"He thought he was protecting us from a dark wizard," Lloyd said in the minister's defense.

"Doesn't make it right," I muttered. Now that we were out of the picture, the minister directed some of his subordinates to carry us away, probably to the infirmary. Meanwhile, the minister used magic to tie up the dark lord. Then he looked around to make sure he wasn't being watched. The three of us pressed our backs against the wall, hoping against hope that he couldn't see anything in the darkness.

"Stay there, Garmadon," The minister said. "You're going to pay for what you did to Akiko."

A cloak rustled. The minister sniffed. Then, footsteps echoed against the rock, and at last, silence. I peered around the corner again.

"Okay," I whispered. "Let's free Garmadon, before he comes back with the Dementors."

Zane and Lloyd nodded. As we inched our way across the mountain, I felt so exposed. There was no place to hide over here. If the minister came back, we were done for. At last, we were at Garmadon's side. Despite his helmet and warlord armor, he looked so helpless lying cold on the ground.

Ropes held the warlord's four arms captive. I pushed him on his back to see if there were any knots I could untie, but of course there weren't. I wish I had brought a knife with me. I sighed loudly.

I heard a click to my right. I turned and Zane had opened a panel in his arm. A spinning saw blade came out of it and cut the ropes.

"Whoa," Lloyd admired.

"When did you learn to do that?" I asked.

"My father has been teaching me a lot about myself these past few weeks," Zane replied.

That's cool. But Garmadon was still out cold. I heaved with all my might, but the warlord was seriously heavy.

"Help me," I said through gritted teeth.

Zane grabbed the wizard's feet and together we managed to lift him. My arms still felt dead. I was afraid I was going to drop him back on the hard rock. We weren't going anywhere fast.

"Guys," Lloyd warned.

Oh no. "Don't tell me the minister's back?" I groaned.

"Worse. Dementors."

Seriously?! That's the last thing we needed. "How close are they?" I asked.

"They're still floating up the steps."

Good. We still have time. "Faster, Zane!" I yelled.

I couldn't see where we were going. My ankle twisted. What I thought was solid ground turned out to be a loose rock. I tumbled and dropped Garmadon's head. No doubt the evil wizard would wake up with a headache.

"Kai!" Lloyd screamed.

"Are you hurt?" Zane asked.

"No, I just tripped. I'll be alright." I stood up, but daggers shot into my ankle. The pain nearly brought me to my knees. Okay…maybe I wasn't all right. Zane lowered Garmadon and was quickly at my side, along with Lloyd. Soon, my arm was wrapped around Zane's shoulder and he was the only reason I was standing.

"What about Garmadon?" I asked them.

"You are more important," Zane replied.

I looked at Lloyd, who was staring at the dark wizard. For a second, I thought he was actually going to leave his own father behind. The first year pulled out his wand.

" _Wingardium Leviosa!"_ Garmadon's body began to rise and float ahead of us. "Let's go," Lloyd said to us.

Together, we began to limp toward the school. The Dementors were still coming behind us. I wished I hadn't stepped on that rock, or wasted so much time before moving on. We weren't going to make it.

The school was tantalizingly out of reach. The cold mist was already settling over me. Our pace slowed to a crawl. I found myself back on the ground. A haze clouded my mind. I thought I saw a thing of white standing between me and the hoard of monsters.

" _Expecto Patronum!"_ A voice said.

A shield appeared. I shook my head to clear the mist. The Dementors were still coming. One bounced back only for another to take its place. Zane was going to get overrun. I mustered what little strength I had.

"Don't do it, Zane!" I couldn't let my friend sacrifice himself for me, but he didn't move.

" _Expecto Patronum!"_ Zane repeated.

The shield flared white for a moment, then died back down to pale blue. Zane shook his head and tried again.

" _Expecto Patronum!"_

Despite the crowd of Dementors, Zane was still standing. His shield was fading fast, but he refused to give up. Arms grabbed me and tried to drag me away.

"No!" I cried. "Zane still needs us. We can't leave him! Stop it!" The arms kept pulling despite my protest. I squirmed and tried to get back to my friend, who had planted his feet and refused to move.

" _EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_ He shouted with all his might.

This time, a falcon burst out of his wand and flew over the heads of the Dementors. They ducked and fled back down the mountain. Zane had done it. He had summoned a real patronus. The bird circled back to my friend, who offered his arm to the creature.

It perched for a moment and preened itself, before disappearing in a ghostly flash. Zane continued to stare at the spot where the falcon used to be. Meanwhile, Lloyd tried to pull me up, but I just crashed back to the ground.

"Zane, can you give me a hand?" Lloyd asked.

He snapped out of his trance and came back to help me. Once I was standing again, we continued to walk toward the school. There was still no sign of the minister, and finally we made it back without anything going wrong.

"Zane, you need to get back to the infirmary," I said as we limped along. "In the other timeline, you were with the rest of us when we woke up."

"But what about you?" my friend asked.

"I think I can handle him," Lloyd said. He was still holding Garmadon up with his wand, but the first year looked determined. I just hoped determination would be enough to get me back. Zane hesitated, then handed me off.

Our pace slowed dramatically, but at least I didn't fall. With one hand against the wall, and one around Lloyd, we continued back to the infirmary. Loud voices greeted us as we reached the door.

"Boys, calm down!" Nya snapped.

Lloyd set me down and lowered Garmadon to the floor. By silent agreement, we decided to wait until our other selves left. We half-heartedly listened to the conversation.

"By the way, thanks for choosing me to come with you," I said. The other Lloyd reminded me that I never got thank him during the craziness of our mission.

"You're welcome…?" Lloyd said uncertainly. "It's really no big deal."

"It meant a lot to me," I said. I smiled at the first year and ruffled his hair. "You're a good friend."

Lloyd smiled back at me. "You too."

"Well, isn't that nice?" a gruff voice muttered.

I looked across the room. Garmadon pulled himself up with a groan, one of his arms holding his head.

"What happened?" He asked louder. "Where's the minister?"

"We rescued you," I said. "And it wasn't easy, so you better be grateful."

Garmadon ignored me. "L-loyd, are you okay?"

Lloyd folded his arms. "We nearly got killed by Dementors, but–"

"Dementors! Did they hurt you? How did you escape?" The dark wizard demanded.

"No, I'm not hurt, but they gave me a weird feeling—"

"What kind of feeling?" the warlord pressed. By now, he was practically in Lloyd's face. Sheesh. He was a really overprotective father.

"Well, it was like I was in a memory or a dream. Someone was crying—I think it was a woman—and there was sound of crackling flames. Why?" Lloyd asked.

Garmadon finally leaned back and sighed. He covered his face, right before I caught sight of…fire?

"Oh, L-loyd," he whispered. "So they remind you of the day I left?"

He looked so sad. So… un-warlordlike. In fact, ever since we met the dark wizard, he didn't seem like that bad of a person. I looked at Lloyd and he met my gaze. Neither of us knew how to respond to that.

 _CREAK._

The infirmary door was opening. Master Wu walked out the hallway, noticed us and stopped suddenly. Then he looked at Garmadon, who glared at the old sensei.

"Hello, brother," Wu said.

Garmadon pulled himself up to his full height, glowering at the professor the entire time.

"Glad you could join us, little brother," he spat back.

* * *

AN: Garmadon and Wu come face to face-read on next time to find out what will happen next! Thanks for your support!


	12. Chapter 11-Forgiveness

Chapter 11: Forgiveness

* * *

The tension in the hallway was tangible. The two wizards stared at each other, neither willing to break away. Years of conflict and separation stood between them, so tangible Zane could cut it with his mini saw blade.

"So my students rescued you, I see?" Wu asked politely, finally breaking the silence.

"With no help from you," Garmadon answered, his spite undisguised.

Wu remained unfazed. He let the infirmary door swing shut behind him.

"They told me you left the Overlord," The professor said. Then he dropped his voice down to a whisper. "I only wish I could believe them."

Garmadon folded his arms. "You can. I never liked working for anybody, as you know all too well."

"Yes," Wu replied. "But I also know this isn't the first time you claimed you've changed."

The dark wizard flinched. "I can explain, brother."

"I'm sure you can," Wu said, compassion showing in his eyes for the first time.

I caught my breath, looking from the professor to the warlord.

"What? You're not going to use Veritaserum on me?" Garmadon sneered.

Wu shook his head. "Not unless you think I need to, brother. Are planning on lying to me?"

"No!" the dark wizard quickly defended himself.

"Then tell me the truth. Why have you come back, and have you really changed?" Wu asked simply.

"I came to see L-loyd," Garmadon said. He pulled out a newspaper from his long dark robe. On the front cover was a picture of Lloyd in his hoodie walking through the school's wooden doors.

"He is my son, and I really have changed. The Overlord threatened to kill Koko and Lloyd, and he always carries out his threats."

I took a sharp breath and looked at Lloyd. I couldn't imagine what this year would have been like without him. Garmadon's story seemed believable, but when I looked back at the professor, there was still a frown on his face.

"Why didn't you ask for help? You know I would have protected Misako with my life."

The dark wizard looked down at the ground. "I was ashamed and afraid. The Overlord seemed unbeatable, and to be honest, at that time, neither of us had the strength to defeat him. In the end, only our father could destroy him, and even then it cost him his life."

The two brothers fell silent. After a respectful pause, Wu asked, "Why didn't you come back?"

Garmadon sighed. "How could I? I was weak and so utterly helpless! I couldn't protect my wife or my son! How could I go back after I betrayed their trust? I had to leave and get stronger, so I wouldn't have to feel like that ever again."

"So you were afraid?" Lloyd asked, glaring at his father. "That's why you left me and mom all alone? She left looking for you! And you were just hiding from us all these years!"

Garmadon looked like he had been slapped. "L-loyd, I'm sorry. I want to be here now. If you'd just give me another chance—"

"I don't want you back!" Lloyd snapped. "I saved your life because you're my father, that's all!"

The first year got up and stomped in the infirmary, far away from the warlord. The dark wizard looked at where his son disappeared in dull shock. Part of me wanted to go after Lloyd, but I didn't know what I could really say to him. It was probably better to give him space after what just happened.

"One thing is clear," Wu said. "You love Lloyd very much."

Garmadon tore his eyes away from the door. "Of course I do, but he doesn't want anything to do with me."

The professor nodded. "Perhaps for now, but since Ronin left, the Defense Against the Dark Arts post is open, and I think you are more than qualified. You would then have a chance to teach Lloyd in class."

Something shimmered in Garmadon's eyes, but it was gone before I could be sure. "Defense Against the Dark Arts? Well, I suppose I could…"

Wu smiled. "Welcome back, brother."

After another pause, the dark wizard smirked. "And I have some conditions. I'll want to write my own curriculum, of course, and I'm not wearing those professor robes of yours. They're too dull. In fact, everything around here could use a little more…pizzazz."

I couldn't believe how quickly the warlord's attitude changed. Now that he'd been forgiven, he was acting like he owned the place.

"Anything else you want to do to my school, brother?" Wu asked, subtlety reminding Garmadon who was in charge.

"I think that'll be all for now," he relented.

Wu nodded, then looked at me for the first time. "Come along, Kai. We need to treat your injuries."

I grimaced and tried to push myself up, without putting weight on my twisted ankle. Now that I was on the ground, it was next into impossible to get back up. Master Wu noticed my struggle, and next thing I knew, I was back on my feet.

I glanced back at the professor just as he slipped his wand back into his robe. I smiled gratefully at him, and together, we made our way into the infirmary.

"Wu!" Garmadon called.

The professor turned his head. "Yes, brother?"

The dark wizard couldn't quite look Wu in the eyes. His played with his four hands awkwardly. After a moment, he managed to spit out what he wanted to say.

"Thanks. For letting me see him again."

I had no idea what Garmadon was talking about, but Wu seemed to understand. "Of course."

Now that he had his brother's attention, the warlord quickly changed subjects. "The Green Wizard. Do you know who he is?" he asked.

Wu sighed. "There are many talented students at this school, including your son. Any one of them could be the Green Wizard."

There it was again. That green wizard from my dream. Garmadon nodded, then hung back in the corridor while we went inside. I guess after Lloyd's blow up, he didn't want to make things worse. I didn't blame him.

* * *

Once inside the infirmary, Master Wu set me on a bed, and began examining my ankle while my friends swarmed my bed, pelting me with questions.

"Lloyd's super upset and not telling us anything—"

"What happened?"

"—He just stomped out the back, did something happen between you two?"

"Did you rescue Garmadon?"

"Is everything alright?"

"Are you hurt?"

"Stop talking all at once!" I snapped. The room grew uncomfortably still. I sighed. I let my temper get completely out of control. "Look, it's been a long night. Can we please talk later?"

My friends murmured and finally left. Only Nya stayed by my bed. Wu gave me a cup of tea and some chocolate, said something about the minister and Garmadon, then left the room.

"You know they're only worried about you," my sister commented.

I nibbled on the chocolate and took a sip of the hot tea so I wouldn't have to answer right away.

"I know," I replied at last.

"You were out in the hall for a long time. We didn't know when you were coming back, or if you were coming back at all," Nya said softly.

"I know," I repeated. I set my tea down next to my bed and looked my sister in the eyes. "It's just, I've got a lot on my mind."

"Like what?"

"Stuff."

Nya glared at me, and just like that I spilled everything about Green Wizard, and the conversation between Wu and Garmadon, including why Lloyd got so mad at his father. Nya was so easy to talk to, and once I got started, it all came out in one giant mess.

My sister sat on the bed next to me and listened patiently to me. When I was done, she said, "You know, you shouldn't take so much on yourself."

I shifted to get more comfortable. These infirmary pillows are flat and the beds are too stiff.

"What'd you mean?" I asked, even though I had a pretty good idea.

Nya rolled her eyes at me. "Ever since Mom and Dad left, you've been trying to take all the responsibility for everything. Then you got to school and started taking on the Overlord and giant snakes and Lloyd and the Green Wizard and…" she trailed off. "Sometimes, you can let us worry about you too."

Now that she had said everything she wanted to say, my sister got off the bed and walked toward the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Nya had given me a lot to think about.

"Goodnight, Kai," she whispered.

I stared at the steam curling out of my cup, lost in thought. Yes there were a lot of unanswered questions that were bothering me, but Nya was right. I had friends to support me. We would figure this out together. I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

 _I was standing in a green meadow with all of my friends. Except that instead of wearing their normal kimonos, they were all wearing green gi. I looked down at my own outfit only to find even more green staring right at me. I looked up again and now everyone had bright green eyes.  
_

 _I stumbled backward. They looked awful. Well, except for Lloyd. The green actually looked half-way decent on him. But Zane on the other hand…he should really just stick with white._

I woke up and rubbed my eyes to get rid of that terrible image. Maybe I was overthinking the whole Green Wizard/friend thing if I was dreaming about it. I promised myself that today; I wouldn't worry about this anymore. Besides, I had to concentrate on finishing school, and going back home to Carl and Karin.

Yikes. Not looking forward to that.

Winter came before I knew it. Soon, I was cramming for exams and hoping that I would somehow pass Transfiguration and Charms. I almost forgot about the Green Wizard.

Almost.

* * *

Epilogue to follow this next week and then it's onto Book 4! Thanks for your support!


	13. Chapter 12-Epilogue

Epilogue

* * *

 _The shadow looked out at from the school that was now his home. The mess with ministry had finally been straightened out. He just had to agree to these terms and Wu was responsible for all his actions, blah, blah, blah._

 _Now that he could breathe easy again, the shadow decided to revisit the Takai Tower, one of his favorite places in the school, besides the koi pond of course. Ahhh. He had fond memories of feeding the killer koi. Not the same as sharks, but still…_

 _However, the shadow had decided to visit this particular favorite instead, because from here, he could see the entire school grounds, where the students were pouring down the mountain, including his precious son. The wisp of a man sighed. He had not finished what he had set out to accomplish, but he had come close._

 _But his goal was still within reach. Now that the school had become his domain, Lloyd couldn't avoid him forever. Soon, the shadow's heart would become whole. "Soon," he murmured to himself. "Soon."_

 _During the break, however, there were other matters to attend to. The shadow's brother believed that the Overlord was not truly gone, and as long as the Overlord was alive, he would be searching for the Green Wizard. It would be important to find him first._

 _The shadow sighed. There was the matter of Koko to be considered. According to his son, his wife had left searching for him, but where was she now? He had no clues. No ideas as to where to begin. The shadow sighed and leaned over the balcony._

 _He had to make another decision: To find an elusive myth, or a missing woman? The shadow only had a month. Now that he had responsibilities, he couldn't up and leave as he pleased, much to the shadow's displeasure. And in that month, it would be a lot easier to find the love of his life than a legend from a prophecy._

 _So his mind was made up. The shadow faded into the safety of the school and disappeared down the mountain, down the secret trail he had discovered as a boy. At the base, he looked back one last time._

 _"I'll be back," he promised._

" _Where are you going, brother?"_

 _The shadow stopped in his tracks. He turned around slowly to face the horrible truth he couldn't quite believe. Behind the shadow was his little brother, looking as calm and annoying as ever._

" _I'm going after Koko," the shadow replied shortly. "And don't think for a second you're going to make me stay here instead."_

" _I loved Misako too, brother. I want to come with you."_

 _Red eyes blinked slowly. "Come with me?"_

" _Yes. You've been alone far too long."_

 _The shadow hesitated. "What about my son?"_

" _He can stay with Mrs. Figgs. She's been babysitting Lloyd for years." His brother took a step forward. "Everything will be taken care of."_

 _The shadow paused, trying to find another excuse to keep his brother from coming. But his brother had clearly thought this through, and there is nothing the shadow could do to stop him._

" _Alright," he relented. "But you better not slow me down."_

 _His brother smiled in response. The shadow left the school, realizing that he had gained far more than he could have ever imagined. He had a home, a second chance with his son, and a loving brother. And now, the shadow thought, he was going to find his wife._

* * *

STAY TUNED!

 **An** : Sorry I'm late. I was on vacation. Next week I'll be starting book four: The Triwizard Tournament!


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